World view: Winter fair in Inner Mongolia

Women ride in traditional costume to the opening ceremony of the winter Nadam fair in West Ujimqin Banner, Inner Mongolia, China

Mongolian women in traditional costume for the opening ceremony of the winter Nadam fair in West Ujimqin Banner, northern China’s Inner Mongolia. Nadam means ‘games’ in Mongolian, and the five-day festival features the region’s three main sports: wrestling, horse racing and archery. Herdsmen and their families travel for miles to set up yurts on the snowy grassland, and the centuries-old tradition begins with an elaborate ceremony featuring dancers, athletes, horse riders and musicians in traditional dress. Photograph: Xinhua/Barcroft Images
Photograph: Xinhua / Barcroft Images